Railway-car truck.



e. G. FLOYD. RAILWAY GAR TRUGK. APPLICATION FILED PEB.15, 1908.

Patented June 15, 1909.

2 Bums-sum 1.

a. G. FLOYD. RAILWAY GAR TRUCK. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15, 1908.

Patented June 15, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEBT '2.

UNITED sTArEs PIQDENT OFFICE.

GEORGE G. FLOYD, OF GRANITE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN STEEL FOUNDRIES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

RAILWAY-CAR TRUCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 15, 1909.

Application filed February 15, 1908. Serial No. 416,073.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE G. FLOYD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Granite, in the county of Madison and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Car Trucks, of which the following is a specification.

It has been proposed heretofore to provide for the ready removal of a railway car-truck bolster from the truck by supplying the bolster-opening in the side-frame with an enlargement of sufficient size to permit withdrawal of the bolster therethrough.

The object of the present invention is to arrive at the same result, that is, easy and ready removal of the bolster, but by means of a quite different construction. Furthermore, in those trucks having the enlarged openings, in order to lower the bolster sufliciently to bring it in line with theenlargement, it is necessary to cut the rivets of and take out the channel springplank or pair of angle-bars sometimes employed in its stead. As is obvious, such procedure is objectionable and more or less expensive. My im proved construction, on the other hand, obviates all necessity of cutting any rivets or removing the spring-plank or angle tie-bars, the bolster having no column-guides and being removable after the springs have been taken out by tilting or ti ping the same until its lower end comes slow the flange or guard on one of the side-frames, which normally prevents its lengthwise shifting, whereupon its lowered tipped end may be rojected or pushed outwardly through the i101- ster-o ening in the side-frame sufficiently to free t 1e opposite end of the bolster from the other side-frame, after which the bolster may be readily lifted out of the truck, as is obvious.

On the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, I have illustrated a desirable embodiment of my invention, and in the Various views like reference characters refer to the same parts.

On the drawings,-l igu re l is an elevation of my improved car-truck, certain parts being omitted and other parts broken away to more clearly illustrate the construction; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the construction shown in Fig. 1, the bolster an part of the sideframe being partially L ken away; Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section through the car-truck and illustrates the manner of removing the truck bolster; and Fig. 4 is a central vertical cross-section through the car-truck, illustrating substantially one-half thereof.

This improved car-truck, as is usual, has two side-frames 10, 10, each of which has a central bolster and spring opening or aperture 11. frame is somewhat enlarged at the bottom at 12 to accommodate the end of a channel spring-plank 13 which is riveted or otherwise desirably fastened to the two side-frames, the web of the spring-plank at each end resting upon the widened spring-seat 14 of the side-frame. The aperture or recess 11 of each frame has at its ends parallel vertical columns '15, 15. The central portion 16 05 The central opening 11 of each the upwardly-arched compression member 17 of the frame, that is, that portion over the opening 11, comprises a substantially flat horizontal web or plate 18 having depending from its inner edge or margin a strengthening bulb or enlargement l 9. Dependi ng'from its outer edge and joining the upper portions of the outer edges of the columns 15 is n flange 20 of considerably greater depth than the bulb or enlargement 19, and provided along its lower edge with an outwardly-extended strengthening rib or flange 21, as will be observed from an inspection of Fig. 4, the plate or web 1.8 and flange 20 forming a sort of hood for the end portion of the truck bolster 22, whose lower central boundary or margin is curved or convex as at 23. At its opposite ends the bolster has the side bearings 24, and

at each end it is also vertically shouldered at 25 whereby there produced an extension or end proper 26 of considerablv reduced depth.

In the normal position of the parts the bolster-springs 27 rest dir ctly or indirectly upon the web of the chmnni spring-plank 13. bearing on their upper ends the terminal portions of the bolster 2'2. Under these conditions the reduced ends 26 of the bolster underlie the lower edges of the flanges 20, while the shoulders 25 are disposed inside of the flanges and are adapted to co-act with their inner faces to limit and restrict longitudinal shifting of the bolster. The latter is guided in its vertical reciprocations and movements by the columns 15 which cooperate with the sides of the bolster for this purpose. The bolster, however, is not equipped with any of the usual and customary column-guides.

little, if any,

structural To remove the bolster from the car-truck, it is merely necessary to take out the springs 27 of the two side-frames, whereupon the bolster may be bodily lowered, and if desired its central curved portion may be per-- mitted to rest upon the channel springp1ank 13. The bolster may then be tipped or rocked sufliciently so as to lower the full depth portion of one of its ends sufiiciently to permit it to e pushed or projected out- -longitudinally so as to bring its freed end above the corresponding side-frame, whereupon the opposite end of the bolster may be withdrawn from its side-frame in the manner indicated in dotted lines in Fig.3. To insert the bolster in place in the truck, it is merely necessary to proceed in substantially the opposite manner from that set forth above for its removal. It will be observed that, owing to the concentration of metal in the enlargement or bulb 19, which occupies but comparatively little space, the hood portion of the side-frame over the opening 11 is permitted to receive and temporarily accommodate the bolsters side bearing 24 during the removal of the bolster, as is shown in full lines in the left-hand portion of Fig. 8. It will be apparent also that, owing to the fact that the coiled bolster-springs 27 are arranged substantially transversely symmetrica with respect to the side-frame, the load imposed thereon through the bolster is properly distributed on the side-frame, and has tendency to tilt the frame out of osition. i

t will be noted from the above description that the truck-bolster may be removed from or inserted in the truck without soever. as is obvious, is a distinct advantage and saving in time and ex ense.

. Although I have described, wit a considerable degree of particularity, the precise features of my improved truck, it is to be understood that. my invention is not limited to the exact features of construction set forth, and that these may be varied with- .in wide limits without departing from the heart and essence of my invention or sacrificing any of its benefits and advantages.

Attention is directed to thefact that some of the features of the side-frame illustrated on the drawings of this application are 1 claimed in a separate co-p'ending application. 6 (7 M I claim:

' 1. A railway car-truck side-frame having a central bolster'and spring -0 ening and a compression portion or mem er over said opening connecting the two ends of the side-- frame, said compression portion or member "downwardly farther than taking out the SPIlD%:]ls&Ilk or cutting any rivets Whathaving its lowest part disposed at its outer edge, substantially as described.

2. A railway car-truck side-frame having a central bolster and spring opening and a compression portion or member above said opening connecting the two ends of the frame, said com ression portion or member having a depenc ing flange at its outer edge extending downwardly lower than any other part of said compression ortion or member, substantially as described 3. A railway car-truck side-frame having a central bolster and spring opening and a compression portion or member above said opening connecting the two ends of the frame, said compression ortion or member having a depending buib or enlargement along its inner edge and a depending flange along its outer edge, said flange extending said bulb or enlargement, substantially as described.

4. In a railwa car-truck, the combination of a side-frame raving a central bolster and s ring opening and a compression member a ove said opening,'conneetin the two ends of said frame, and having its owest art at its outer portion, bolster springs, am a bolster resting on said springs and having an end of reduced depth extended outwardly'below said lowest art of said compression member, substantially as described.

5. In a railway car-truck, the combination of a side-frame having a centralbolster and; s ring'opening and a compression member a )ove said 0 enin r connectin the two ends of the side-frame, and having its lowest part 9 at its outer portion, bolster-springs, and a bolster resting on said springs and having a shouldered end providin an end pro er of reduced depth, said re uced part 0 said bolster extending outwardly beneath said lowest part of said compression member and said shoulder coo crating therewith to prevent lengthwise siiifting of the bolster, substantially as described.

6. In a railwa car-truck, the combination of a side-frame raving a central bolster and s ring opening and a compression member a ove sand '0 ening, connecting the two ends of the sid'erame, and having at its outer portion a depending flange, bolster-springs,

'and abolster resting on said springs and having a shouldered end pro er of reduced de sai bolster extending outwardly beneath said flange and said shoulder cooperating with the inner surface of said flan e and preventing lengthwise shifting of .t e bolster, substantially as desired.

7. In a railwa car-truck, the combination of a side-frame having a central bolster and s ring opening and a compression member a ove sald opening, connecting the two ends of the side-frame, and he along its inner edge an enlargement or bu and along its rovidlng an end pth, sald reduced part of of a pair of side-frames each having a central bolster and s ring opening and -,a compres-,

outer edge a depending flange, bolster-- neath said flange and said shoulder cooperating with the inner surface of said flange and preventing lengthwise shifting of the bolster,

substantially as described. a 8. Ina railway car-truck, the combination sion member a ove said opening with an inner longitudinal dependin bulb or enlargement and an outer longitu inal depending flan e extending. downwardly farther than said bulb or enlargement, each of said frames also.

having a spring-seat at the bottom of its opening, a spring-plank fastened to said slde-frames and resting on said spring-seats,

bolster-springs for each of said side-frames, and a ho ster restin on said springs and having each of its en s shouldered to provide ends proper of reduced depth, said reduced ends extending outwardly below said depending flanges and saidshoulders co-acting i with the inner faces of said side-frame flanges to limit and restrict lengthwise movement of the bolster, substantially as described.

GEORGE G. FLOYD.

Witnesses:

E. DOWELL, JAS. H. LOUIE. 

